Epigenetic and Immunological Control of Labor Onset

Parturition – the act of giving birth – remains one of the great mysteries in reproductive biology. Not only is the nature of the “clock” that times gestation length completely obscure, but little is known about the sequence of cellular and molecular events initiated at term gestation that ultimately culminate in uterine contraction. Our lack of understanding of such basic features of pregnancy has profound negative consequences for human health, as preterm birth is not only a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality but also has sequelae that extend into adulthood. We study mechanisms of parturition onset from two perspectives, epigenetic and immunological. Specifically, we are determining 1) the pathways by which “reversal” of the epigenetic programs established in decidual stromal cells in early gestation contributes to uterine activation in late gestation; 2) the mechanisms by which uterine immune cells become activated in late gestation and in turn themselves contribute to labor onset.